The Green Ribbon
2023 · 10m
Directed by Heather Turman
Genres: comedy, dark comedy, horror
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, theatrical
After a humiliating phone breakup, sorority girl Brittany (Charlie R. Parker) and her friend MJ venture into an abandoned house seeking an occult spellbook promising eternal beauty — the same house once inhabited by Jane, the mysterious girl with a green ribbon around her neck. Heather Turman's 10-minute horror-comedy, written by David Ho, riffs on the classic folktale.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A folktale rip-off dressed up as sorority comedy—except Turman actually commits to the bit, letting the absurdist horror and theatrical camp cannibalize each other until you can't tell if you're watching satire or genuine weirdness, which is exactly when it gets interesting.
Turman demonstrates real command of tonal register here, balancing the occult-narrative lineage of horror folklore with contemporary comedy vernacular; the economy of the 10-minute form forces each scene to justify its register shift, which most shorts botch.
The choice to play Brittany's post-breakup desperation completely straight—no winking, no irony—while the green ribbon mythology spirals into absurdity around her is what sells the whole thing; Parker's committed performance against the theatrical chaos is the hinge that makes it work.
Reviews
Heather Turman's The Green Ribbon, written by David Ho, is more horror-comedy or even campy horror, than pure horror. The Green Ribbon is a fun ride into eternal curses, and the little loopholes that only the extra groovy college smart brains can use to break them.